Between my main two reads, I am re-reading The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson (215 page) and checking out Law of Success by Napoleon Hill (599 pages).
It didn’t dawn on me the power I had in my hands until I really looked at the titles: The Mis-Education of the Negro and Law of Success. Neither book is easy reading, but they are both good reads. There are two topics that came up consistently in both books: Education and Harmony. However, I would really like to highlight education.
Woodson on Education
Real education means to inspire people to live more abundantly, to learn to begin with life as they find it and make it better….
Hill on Education
An ‘educated’ person is one who knows how to acquire everything he needs in the attainment of his main purpose in life, without violating the rights of his fellow men.” He also wrote that ‘true education means mind development; not merely the gathering and classifying knowledge.
So, what does this all mean?
Marcie’s interpretation:
Education is not just the collection of facts and data; it’s using that information gathered to help yourself and others live more fruitful lives. Both authors pointed out, in their own words, that earning degrees do not equate to education. It’s just means that you had the wherewithal to complete an institution of higher learning. And they both pointed out that people with degrees tend to be useless when it comes to advancing their communities while people with less schooling make bigger contributions.
Even though these gentlemen were speaking from two different perspectives, they both highly valued education. And reading both of these books at the same time is making me, an educated women who highly values education, think. I already know that my degree does not make me educated, but am I applying things I learn to uplift and encourage others? Have I figured out how to acquire everything I need to fulfill my life purpose,which is to help others?
What about you? In which category do you fall? The degreed person making little effort to advance your community or the person with no degree making a huge impact in your community?
If you want to read more, you click on the links to purchase The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson and Law of Success by Napoleon Hill.
Wow, Marcie
That’s a cracking post.
I’m the guy without a degree, that tries to make an impact.
I would say that degrees are what you make of them, when people finally obtain it through hard work they don’t put anything from it into practise.
Why?
Because they feel they have done what they needed to do. They are not going to do anything more. They have reached the limit of their own determination to process things further.
Simmeon, just from reading these two gentlemen at the same time, a formal education doesn’t make one successful. In fact, many people with degrees at that have proven pretty useless in building businesses and community. The people with the right heart, drive and persistence made it all happen.